


One Thousand Lifetimes

by kowaiyoukai



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blasphemy, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Disaster Gabriel Reyes, Fluff and Humor, Gay Disaster Jack Morrison, Historical Inaccuracy, M/M, Minor Emily/Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Multiple Lifetimes, Temporary Character Death, other characters make an appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kowaiyoukai/pseuds/kowaiyoukai
Summary: Gabe didn't intend to assault the Pharaoh's daughter. Now he's cursed to live a thousand lives without having what he loves most. Not the worst punishment, all things considered. After all, Gabe can't think of a single thing he actually loves.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46
Collections: Reaper76 Free For All Secret Santa 2020





	One Thousand Lifetimes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DustyMakesMistakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustyMakesMistakes/gifts).



> This was written for [DustyMakesMistakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustyMakesMistakes/pseuds/DustyMakesMistakes) for the [Reaper76 Free-For-All Secret Santa 2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/R76FFASS2020)! I came in as a pinch hitter, and it ended up being a much longer fic than I anticipated due to the fantastic prompt. I hope you all enjoy this work of love!

_**Pre-History: Unknown** _

Gabriel wouldn’t say that he was _friends_ with the T-Rex, per say. He was more likely to describe it as a meeting of the minds. A fellow apex predator, as they say. He absolutely knew what it was like to go hunt and kill smaller, less powerful animals in order to go back home and provide for his family.

Well, not his family—he should clarify before the events become unclear. He had many families, but he didn’t know this yet. Here, at the beginning, Gabriel mostly knew the one person who would stay with him for all his lives. Jack—of course, it was always Jack. His best friend. The only other hunter Gabe relied on.

Jack had sometimes seemed to want more from him. There were a few nights when the other man had laid his bearskin down next to Gabe’s own. When he had curled in closer to Gabe, seeking warmth and companionship.

Gabriel wasn’t a particularly selfish person. He wanted a few things. The same few things every reasonable caveperson wanted—food when he was hungry, fire and clothes when he was cold, and a cave to stay in when the weather got particularly shitty or when he needed to hide from a bigger predator. But he didn’t ever think he could deserve to want a person like Jack.

The thing was, Jack had plenty of admirers. He was the leader of the most successful hunting party, after all. There was this other guy, Vincent. Nice enough guy—for a gatherer. Gabe had nothing _against_ gatherers. It was just—there was a hierarchy, see? Gabe knew he was closer to the top of the chain as a hunter, but he wasn’t the _best_ hunter. That was Jack’s thing. Maybe, if he could _become_ better than Jack, then he’d be able to show the man his own worth. It didn’t make sense for Jack to form a bond with another hunter any other way. It was always hunters with gatherers. That was the way.

He was returning with his hunting party, ruminating on this problem. Jack had skipped this excursion—something to do with Vincent needing extra hands to pull up grass, or whatever. Gabe sighed. Loudly. _Too_ loudly.

Zarya strode up to him, clapping him on the back hard enough that he stumbled forward. “What’s on your mind?”

Gabe grimaced. “Nothing. Watch the horizon. We don’t know where that T-Rex went.”

Zarya laughed loudly, not seeming to care that she was giving away their location. “You worry too much, Gabe.”

The woman had the perfect build for a hunter, but she had the tact of a rampaging brontosaurus. Gabe frowned. “You don’t worry enough.”

Turned out Gabe was right. As always. They had only just rounded the corner to the last main trail heading to the cave when a roar brought all of their attention to the left… right where a team of gatherers was out. The gatherers looked up with horror, and Gabe watched as the T-Rex lunged forward, massive jaws snapping at each of the cavepeople as they ran towards the cave, the only nearby safe location they knew.

Gabe cursed and threw a spear in another direction, hoping to distract the giant pain-in-the-ass. The T-Rex seemed to not care about the spear—which was kind of annoying. Gabe had actually worked really hard carving that, and he wasn’t getting the appreciation he deserved.

“Gabe!”

Jack’s voice had Gabe looking quickly around, immediately zeroing in on his position. “Jack! Get out of there!”

The T-Rex surged forward, aiming for someone who was running away. The person zigged, zagged, and then the dinosaur caught up, dipping his head down to eat his snack in a single swallow.

“Vincent!” Jack cried, hands reaching out to the now-empty space.

Oh. Well. That wasn’t a _huge_ loss, all things considered.

“I’m okay!” Vincent shouted, head popping out from where he had rolled behind a tree.

Gabe’s shoulders sagged. “Great,” he snapped. “That’s just _great_. Then stay the fuck out of the way of the huge deadly teeth, idiot!”

Jack frowned at Gabe. “There’s no reason to be mean, Gabriel.”

“Oh snap,” Zarya said as she ran by, heading towards the T-Rex to punch its face. “He full-named you.”

Gabriel waved at Jack, pointing to the cave. “Go! Take shelter!”

“I can help!” Jack insisted.

“You don’t have a weapon!” Gabe reached behind his shoulder to pull out another spear. “Save who you can!”

Jack began to run. Gabe wanted to watch him go, but he had to focus on the T-Rex. That was the threat. It required all of his attention. Zarya had reached its foot and seemed to be pummeling it with punch after punch. Gabe had no idea if that would be effective, but it was possibly better than nothing.

This was the T-Rex Gabe had been in charge of hunting. The one he’d started to feel a connection with. And due to that, he hadn’t yet made a plan for killing it. Stupid, rookie mistake.

As Gabe got closer, a shadow began to spread across the sky. He looked up, planning on just a glance, then stopped in his tracks. There was something in the air blocking out the sun. It was falling—getting closer and closer. A piece of rock? Gabe couldn’t tell.

Zarya lifted her fist, looking at it with wide eyes. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “I punched out the sky.”

There was no time to answer that—though what he would even say, he had no idea—because in the next moment all was chaos. There was a crashing sound so loud it shook the ground. Dirt flew up into the air, obscuring his vision entirely. The wind spun around them all, creating a small unstoppable force.

Gabe had no idea what was happening. He couldn’t tell if he was injured, or if anyone was injured out of his hunting party and the gatherers. He hoped they could find their way back to the cave. Previously, he’d thought that he knew this path better than how to track unwary prey. But everything was in disarray. There was no way to determine where the well-walked path was hiding.

“Jack!” Gabe shouted.

No answer.

He didn’t expect much else. He could barely hear his own voice in the middle of this mess.

Somehow he made it back to the cave. He couldn’t explain how. He trusted his feet. That was all. Not everyone was as lucky as he was, but enough made it back before the ground shuddered again, causing rocks to fill the entrance to the cave, completely blocking it from the dirt and wind that was swirling around outside.

Gabe immediately searched the cave system. Within a few minutes, he found Jack corralling everyone into the farther back areas. A great relief filled him. He didn’t want to examine it. Didn’t have the time to.

“We can’t—” Jack’s voice cut off. He cleared his throat, taking a stronger tone. “We can’t leave the cave. The passage is entirely blocked. Whatever we have here, that’s it. That’s what we’ve got.”

Gabe stood up, coming to rest at Jack’s right side. “You heard the man. Let’s take stock of what we’ve got and go from there.”

Jack shot him a grateful smile. Gabe returned it. He licked his lips, trying to put his thoughts into words. He was glad they had made it through. He hoped they’d figure out some kind of solution. They always had in the past, hadn’t they? No reason to expect anything different this time around.

Vincent walked over, reaching out and taking Jack’s hand. “The gatherers are a little on edge,” he said. “Think you could help take the edge off?”

Jack blushed at the innuendo, but nodded like the good leader he was. “Of course. Lead the way.”

Gabe seethed.

After that day, time passed too quickly. Everyone worked on trying to free the cave from the rocks that had trapped them inside. But when they eventually dug their way out, the world was too brutal. Something like snow had covered the entire world—more gray in color and painful to the touch. Ever the brave fool, Zarya volunteered to go on an exploratory quest. Everyone donated their warmest furs and dried rations to help her. She left with the absolute best preparations they could give her.

She never came back.

Their food supplies ran out.

The tossed the first bodies out into the cold, but soon enough didn’t have the strength to move any more.

When there were only a few of them left, Gabe pulled Jack aside. “I’m sorry,” he rasped, voice hoarse from a painful lack of water.

Jack—once so muscular and powerful, now looking hollow and worn—wrapped his arms around Gabe and held on as tight as he could. “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could.”

Gabe gripped onto the back of Jack’s furs, squeezing the material until his knuckles felt sore. “Don’t know how I could’ve prevented the sky from falling.”

Jack laughed. “Never expected you to.”

That day passed.

Then the next.

Gabe didn’t have a great concept of an afterlife. His mind wandered as he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Maybe someplace… nice? A place to rest after a lifetime of hard, back-breaking work. That would do. As long as Jack was there, it would be enough.

Turns out, that wasn’t entirely true. He wanted more—he just didn’t know it yet.

~*~

_**2984 BC: Ancient Egypt** _

“How many pyramids do they actually need?” Gabe pondered as he walked along his assigned corridor of the palace. “When you think about it, the pharaohs are already dead. What could they possibly want at that point?”

Akande’s eyes widened. “Gabriel,” he hissed. “You should take more care in what you say.”

Gabe shrugged. “I’m just saying. All that labor could be put to better use.”

“The walls have ears,” Satya said, sounding like a total worrywart.

Gabe rolled his eyes. Guard duty was boring at the best of times, but Satya was one of those people who was all business, all the time. Even the concept of thinking outside the lines put her on edge. Sure, Gabe had seen her let loose a few times, but overall Satya was one of the most strict partners to be assigned with. Akande was a bit more interesting, but only slightly so. He was also focused single-mindedly on the task at hand. Gabe didn’t mind them, truly. He just preferred to have a bit of fun to drown out the tedium.

They continued their walk around the palace. Gabe was ready to call it a night when he spotted someone sneaking off near the Pharaoh’s quarters. He ran off, leaving Akande and Satya behind while he slunk into the shadows, as was his specialty. Following the unknown infiltrator, Gabe waited for the right moment before he attacked—knocking the person to the ground with one quick blow of his elbow to their temple, a practiced move that ensured the person would be unconscious. 

Gabe grabbed the interloper’s shoulder and turned her around, eyes widening as he felt a pit open up inside his gut.

It was Fareeha. The Pharaoh’s daughter.

The sound of rushed footsteps came from behind. Gabe panicked. Akande and Satya had finally caught up with him. They both took a moment to inspect the woman on the floor before their eyes met in mutual understanding.

“You should have been more circumspect in your duties,” Satya stated.

Gabe stood up, looking at them both desperately. “This was an accident.”

“I am sorry, my friend,” Akande said, dejectedly. “Whether or not that is true is irrelevant. I already called for backup.”

Another troop of guards ran around the corner, weapons at the ready as they took in the scene in front of them.

“Quickly! Capture the traitor!”

Gabe put up his hands. “Hey, what? This is all a big misunderstanding.”

The guards manhandled him straight to the Pharaoh. Ana sat in her throne, eyeing the presentation in front of her with distaste.

“Pharaoh, I can explain,” Gabe began, knowing he had only moments before his punishment would be doled out.

Ana held up her hand. “Silence, Reyes. You are charged with attacking my daughter, a member of the royal family and the official heir to the throne. You were caught at the scene of the crime. There is nothing more to be said.”

“She’ll be fine!” Gabe exclaimed. “It’s just a bump on the head!”

The other guards gasped.

Gabe looked around, frustrated. “I saw someone sneaking around the Pharaoh’s rooms. Of course I took action!”

“So he admits his guilt.” The voice of Moira, the Pharaoh’s connection to the gods, seemed to summon from nowhere. She stepped out of an adjacent room, a smile curving her lips in a most unsettling manner. “Now there is only the matter of punishment.”

“One moment, Moira,” Ana stated. “I have been informed there is another voice who wishes to speak.”

The door to the Pharaoh’s throne room opened, the heavy sound capturing everyone’s attention.

“Pharaoh Amari,” Jack said, filled with respect. “If I may approach to speak on behalf of the accused?”

Ana nodded, raising a hand to gesture for him to move forward.

Of course. Jack was Captain of the Pharaoh’s Guard. He was Ana’s most trusted advisor. Certainly, if anyone had her ear, it was him.

Jack walked forward, standing tall and looking amazing in his uniform. That wasn’t an opinion—just a fact. Gabe figured anyone with working vision would be able to see him and come to a similar conclusion.

“Guard Reyes was performing his duty to the best of his ability,” Jack stated, authoritative and sure. “He had no way of knowing the person moving suspiciously in the hallway by the Pharaoh’s quarters was Fareeha.”

“So then he’s also incompetent at the simple yet vital task of recognizing members of the royal family?” Moira asked, inspecting her too-long fingernails with an air of disinterest. “Why keep this guard on if this is the case?”

“Guard Reyes has years of experience and loyal service to Pharaoh Amari,” Jack continued. “He deserves more than a quick and dirty discharge due to an unfortunate misunderstanding.”

“I agree,” Moira added. “He deserves more of a punishment than a simple discharge.”

Ana eyed Jack wearily. “This is not the first time Reyes has assaulted a high-ranking member of the court.”

Gabe groaned.

Jack stood up straighter. “As you know, there were extenuating circumstances to that particular incident—”

“Jack,” Ana said, holding up a hand to silence him. “We cannot allow fistfights between your admirers when one of them is an official of high-standing and the other is a common guard.”

“Okay, look, Vincent started it,” Gabe said, venom rising in his tone as he recalled the fight in the barracks three months ago. “He came to the guard base with the sole intention of starting a fight.”

“That’s not what he said,” Moira added, smirking.

“He lied!”

“Gabe,” Jack hissed.

“Well, he did!” Gabe frowned. “Besides, I’m not an _admirer_.”

Several of the guards made doubtful noises. Moira snorted.

“As I’ve said _several_ times, anyone can tell that Jack is an attractive man,” Gabe continued without shame. “It’s not a matter of opinion. It’s like admiring art.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Please, Pharaoh Amari, allow Guard Reyes a chance to redeem himself.”

“I did,” Ana stated. “The last time. However, I was apparently too lenient.” She looked directly at Jack. “I am sorry, but this attack on my own flesh and blood cannot be ignored.”

“Excellent. So, what form of punishment shall we assign to this criminal?” Moira cracked her knuckles.

Gabe’s shoulders tightened. Whatever it was, he could take it.

Ana’s mouth thinned. “He must be made an example of.”

“I understand, Pharaoh.” Moira tapped her fingertips together before her eyes lit up. “I have it. As he attacked what you love the most, he shall be condemned to never attaining what he loves most.” A dark purple color began swirling around her hands—the physical manifestation of the power of the gods.

Jack’s face drained of color. “Moira, please—”

She waved her hand at him dismissively. “Get over it, Morrison. You’ll be fine. You have Vincent.”

Gabe looked between them, confused. “What… are we talking about?”

Moira shook her head. “He really doesn’t know.”

Jack swallowed. “It’s not his fault. I haven’t been as honest as I should be.”

Gabe tried to look over his shoulder at Jack, but the guards holding him down stopped the movement. He groaned. “What’s going on?”

Ana looked slightly pained. “Moira, I do not want an eternal punishment. This will cause Jack undue harm. He has done nothing wrong.”

Moira looked disappointed. “Yes, Pharaoh. Then I shall give this a time limit.” She paused, thinking it over. “Several lifetimes,” she decided. “After that time, the punishment will be considered complete, and the curse will lift.”

“Several?” Gabe asked, mouth twisting in irritation. “That’s not a very specific number.”

“Not knowing when it ends is part of your torture,” Moira explained. “But, since you asked and the Pharaoh desires mercy, let us say the length of time shall be one thousand lifetimes.”

Gabe’s mouth twisted downwards. “One thousand seems like _way more_ than several—”

“And,” Moira continued, “in order to ensure no one else suffers, only you will retain knowledge of your lives.”

“Lives?” Before an answer was given, the purple smoke flew over to him, filling up his lungs and immediately causing his body to turn into a mist-like form. Gabe felt himself freak out through an out-of-body experience, both seeing his body turn into a non-physical form and feeling his skin dissolve without experiencing any pain.

“Gabe!” Jack shouted.

He was back in his physical form momentarily. The guards dragged him away, locking him up for a week until he was released to work on the new pyramid.

A few months later, after construction was complete, there was a party to celebrate the new burial grounds. Gabe went because he was specifically invited by the guard. Turned out it wasn’t the guard but Vincent who wanted him to attend.

Vincent walked in with Jack on his arm, acting like he was the new pharaoh instead of just an assigned public official. Jack saw Gabe and whispered furiously to Vincent. But, instead of coming over to talk like they used to, Jack went to sit at one of the fanciest tables. Vincent walked over to Gabe, smiling with absolutely no kindness.

“It appears one aspect of your punishment in this life is over,” Vincent stated. “Congratulations.”

Gabe narrowed his eyes at the man. “What do you want?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure.”

Vincent blew out a breath. “Fine. I want you to know that I won.”

“Won?” Gabe’s face twisted. “Won _what_?”

Vincent was quiet. “You really are an idiot.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Gabe replied. 

“This could have gone a whole other way if it was your first offense,” Vincent said with superiority. “Maybe you shouldn’t have punched me.”

“ _Maybe you shouldn’t have punched me_ ,” Gabe mocked, voice high and nasally.

Vincent walked away, striding up to Jack, pulling out the chair he was sitting on, and climbing onto his lap. Jack blushed and looked over at Gabe. Vincent put his hand on Jack’s chin and moved their faces closer.

Gabe looked away. That was fine. He wasn’t going to deny Jack whatever happiness he could find in this gods-forsaken desert.

Especially since he was now cursed to never have what he loved most. Though what exactly that was, Gabe still couldn’t determine.

~*~

_**672 BC: Ancient China** _

“This wall is _never_ gonna be finished,” Gabe groused.

Jack ran the back of his hand across his forehead. “Sure it will,” he replied, always so positive. “And when it’s done, it’ll be _great_.”

Gabe tilted his head to the side, eyeing the nearly endless piles of bricks and tools stretching to the horizon in front of them. “Will it?” he asked, suspicious. 

One of the most prolific workers on the project chose that moment to walk by. Mei-Ling grinned widely at Gabe. “Of course it will!” She spread her hands out, indicating the vastness of their work. “I love building walls!” Then she hurried along, most likely to go spread more unwanted joy among the others.

“Seems like a lot of work to keep people in,” Gabe stated. “That’s all.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “It’s not about keeping people in,” he stated, frowning slightly. “Didn’t you hear the Emperor? It’s about keeping our enemies out.”

Gabe shook his head. “Ever the optimist.”

Honestly, the Wall was a horrible project. People were dying left and right working on it. And the standing order was to just throw their bodies into the Wall. There wasn’t enough space for all the corpses anywhere else.

Even if people weren’t dying, the Wall had been this massive construction project for four hundred years already. Which Gabe knew very well because of Moira’s curse. He was now able to remember his past lives—although how that meant he could never have what he loved, he was still uncertain.

There were some interesting coincidences in each of his lives. He was usually a soldier or a laborer. That made sense—although he had to retrain his body, he still retained all his previous knowledge and skills. It made him excel in those fields. There were also some recurring faces in his life. There were actually quite a lot of those people, but the one who stood out the most was Jack.

For some inexplicable reason, Jack ended up being close to him in every life. Just, well, not close enough.

Don’t get him wrong! Gabe was extremely happy that he had his best friend to keep him company. But Jack didn’t have the memories of past lives that Gabe had. No one did, regardless of what the prophets and star-readers claimed. So Gabe was in the extremely dubious position of needing to seek out and befriend Jack all over again in each lifetime. Not that he needed to, exactly. More like he wanted to. Just because.

Vincent walked up to Jack and slung an arm around his shoulders. Gabe scowled. There was the one guy that really got on his nerves. He couldn’t explain it. But Vincent always just rubbed him the wrong way, no matter what life he was living.

“Hey, Jack,” Vincent greeted. “Ready to call it quits for the day?”

Jack looked up to the setting sun, narrowing his eyes. “We’ve got a bit of time left to work,” he commented.

Gabe folded his arms across his chest. “Yeah, Vincent. Slacking off on the job?”

Vincent stood up straighter. “Um, no? But we need time to put away our tools for the day.”

Jack nodded. “Good call.”

Gabe grit his teeth.

When Jack wandered away to begin collecting the various shovels, hammers, and whatnot, Vincent eyed Gabe critically. “You know if you don’t make a move, I’m going to.”

Gabe’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

Vincent gestured towards Jack. “He’s a great guy. I think he’d rather be with you, but if you’re not making a move, I’m more than happy to step in.”

“Make a move?” Gabe asked. It was a strange thought. He felt his hands start to tingle. When he looked down at them, they were beginning to smoke. Purple and black smoke, to be exact.

Gabe shook his head, forcing thoughts of Jack out of his head. This happened sometimes when he thought too much about Jack. Gabe wasn’t exactly sure why. But he knew he couldn’t let on to anyone that he was cursed by an Egyptian Pharaoh’s magician. That was guaranteed to get him beheaded in most timelines; this one included.

He clasped his hands behind his back, hiding them from view. “Listen, if you want him, go for it,” Gabe said, not understanding why the words tasted so bitter in his mouth.

Vincent shook his head. “You’re an idiot. But I’m happy to take advantage of that.”

Gabe watched Vincent go over to Jack and say something that made the other man laugh. Why did wanting Jack to be happy make him an idiot? He couldn’t say. Besides, he had other problems to deal with.

Namely, figuring out what exactly it was that he loved the most.

~*~

_**512 BC: Athens, Greece** _

Gabe jogged in place, hiking his knees up above his waist to begin his warm-up stretch. He twisted his waist back and forth, waving his arms out at his sides to limber up. The crowd of people watching was enormous—as was expected. It was the Olympics, after all.

Jack was on the sidelines. He decided not to participate in this year’s throwing competition. Well, that was fine. More than fine, really, as it gave Gabe a chance to show off his skills without worrying about beating his best friend. In fact, the only other person Gabe knew in this contest was Vincent, who he was more than happy to publically embarrass in front of a multinational audience.

“Gabe!” Jack shouted, waving a black flag with a skull on it. “You can do it!”

Some of the other contestants side-eyed the flag, but Gabe thought it was a very thoughtful gesture. 

Vincent was across the field, checking the balance of his spears. Gabe tossed him a casual glare, which he had perfected in the last two thousand years. He was actually quite proud of it. Vincent didn’t even notice.

Asshole.

Anyway.

The spear-throwing event was Gabe’s best—had been the last two Olympic competitions, too. What could he say? He was the only competitor who had very specific memories of throwing spears at dinosaurs. It was a bit confusing how Moira’s curse worked. Why did he have memories of lives before Egypt? He wasn’t going to think too hard about it, though, because when he did he began to go smoky. Couldn’t have that right before his main event.

The horns sounded and all the competitors gathered on the starting line. Gabe rubbed his bare feet in the sand, using the grainy texture to coat his feet for extra traction.

“Feeling lucky today,” Vincent said from the spot next to him, which he’d claimed for some fucking unknown reason. “Think I’m gonna win this year.”

Gabe snorted. “You’re never going to win.”

Vincent tilted his head towards Jack. “Oh, I think I’ll win when it counts.”

The horns blared again, forcing Gabe to focus on the event and not the extremely contrary man who apparently lived to be a thorn in his side in every lifetime.

Gabe ran forward, lost in the crowd of bare chests and thrusting thighs. He ignored all the manflesh and let his attention narrow down to just the tip of his spear. Using all the forward momentum he could gather, Gabe turned his body sideways and skidded to a stop right before the line in the sand, throwing the spear outwards like an extension of his own body.

What he hadn’t counted on was his errant thoughts. For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, Gabe couldn’t get his mind off of Jack. His best friend had looked so thrilled to be watching Gabe’s event. Even with Vincent, Jack’s on-again off-again obnoxiously flirtatious suitor, standing right next to him, Gabe only saw Jack looking his way. It made him feel… weird. His chest felt tighter than normal. And, oddly, his limbs began to feel weightless.

As Gabe saw his spear landed over a yard farther than every other one, he threw his fists up in victory. Only—they weren’t hands anymore. His smoky cursed form was taking over, in front of the largest crowd Greece ever gathered.

People began to gasp and point as the smoke grew thicker. Gabe took a few deep breaths, trying to maintain his composure.

“ _Demon_!”

Jack’s mouth was wide open, his eyes staring at the flag he was holding with horror.

“ _Devil_!”

Gabe took several deep breaths.

“ _Evildoer_!”

Gabe held up his hands as they reformed back to flesh. “Look, this is a big misunderstanding.”

Jack ran up to him, quickly grabbing onto his still-solid shoulders. “Let’s go!” He looked around in fear as he dragged Gabe away, weaving through the crowd with the speed of a three-time sprinting gold medalist. “We have to hide you!”

“How?”

Jack’s face turned determined. He pulled off his loincloth—the only clothes Olympic competitors were allowed to wear—and threw it over Gabe’s head.

“Jack,” Gabe stated, equal parts awkward and touched.

“It’s fine.” Jack had his mission voice. He probably already had a plan. “We just have to get you back to my room.”

The plan worked better than he had any right to expect it to. They didn’t talk about what had happened. Jack didn’t ask, and Gabe wasn’t prepared to offer any answers. Jack insisted Gabe take his bed. It felt like a peace offering, like Jack didn’t think Gabe was a monster, so he agreed. When Gabe woke up the next morning, his eyes felt weary as he heard a muttered conversation from across the room.

“—can’t actually be considering keeping him here.”

“What would you have me do?”

“Turn him over to the authorities.”

“He’s my friend.”

“He’s not human.”

Gabe groaned, running his hands over his face. “I am too human, you stupid fuck. I’m just cursed.”

Jack walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed as Gabe sat up. “Cursed? How? What happened?” 

This never went well. “Look, I’ve tried explaining this to you before, but it’s… difficult.”

Vincent shook his head. “If you’re really going to support this creature, I have no choice but to turn you both over.”

Jack shot a glare over his shoulder. “You do what you feel you have to. I’ll do the same.”

Vincent left in a huff. Jack and Gabe packed their few belongings and dressed in as good disguises as they could muster with so little time.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” Gabe said, gruffly.

“I’d never leave you,” Jack said, softly.

They left the city. With both of their experience as soldiers, it was easy to avoid the beaten path and the roadblocks set up to catch the ‘escaped demon’. Gabe was kind of into the nickname, if he was being honest. He was also kind of into Jack fleeing a city with him. In a best friend type of way.

Gabe ended up explaining the entire situation to Jack, who, surprisingly, took the information in a fairly positive way. He asked a few questions, and Gabe had to go over what exactly a Pharaoh’s curse was and why it was so powerful. Still, Jack only had one question at the end of it all.

“So you’re never to have what you love most?”

Gabe shrugged. “That’s the curse.”

“And you don’t know what it is? The thing you love most?”

“I’ve tried figuring it out, but no luck so far.”

Jack looked confused. “You haven’t figured it out in two thousand _years_?”

Gabe shrugged again. “Nope.”

Jack thought for a moment. “Have we been together all that time?”

“We’ve been friends in every life, Jack.”

Jack’s eyebrows furrowed. “Friends?”

Gabe nodded. “Yep.”

“And… you’ve never had a romantic relationship?”

Surprise and confusion warred for supremacy on Gabe’s face. “No?”

Jack laughed quietly. “Why are you so surprised? It’s about love, isn’t it?”

Gabe thought for a moment. “I never thought about it like that,” he admitted. “The phrasing made it sound like a thing. An object. Not a person.”

Nodding, Jack replied, “That makes sense, actually.” He paused. “Have I been in romantic relationships?”

Annoyance flashed on Gabe’s features. “Yeah,” he grumbled. “Vincent.”

Jack let out a small, “Oh.”

“In every lifetime,” Gabe groused. “It’s actually very annoying.”

“Really? _Vincent_?” Jack shook his head. “That’s surprising.”

Gabe made an inquisitive noise.

“I mean, I would’ve thought—” Jack cut himself off.

“What?” Gabe asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. This was a conundrum he’d been turning over and over for two millennia now. If Jack had an idea, he was more than ready to hear it.

Jack held up his hand, instantly commanding silence. “Footsteps outside,” he muttered. “We’ve been made.”

Not one second later, soldiers were on them, yelling orders to stay still, back away from each other, stay in human form unless he wanted a spear through his demon skull.

“Gabe,” Jack said, locking eyes with him as chains were locked on their wrists and ankles. “It’s you. I want to be with you.”

“We’re always together, Jack. I told you—”

“No,” Jack grit out, sounding desperate. “ _No_! I—”

The soldiers dragged them apart.

Gabe never saw Jack in that life again.

~*~

_**361 BC: Thebes, Greece** _

“No, it’s a great idea,” Jack enthused. “We should join!”

“The Sacred Band of Thebes?” Gabe sounded doubtful. “You know they only take gay couples, right?”

Jack looked suspicious.

“Jack?”

“Really? I wonder.”

_Extremely_ suspicious.

~*~

_**35 AD: Ancient Rome** _

A commotion around the Senate building had Gabe faltering in his steps. Although he normally didn’t concern himself with the mutterings and gossip-mongering that filled most Senators day-to-day, Gabe found himself oddly drawn to this conversation. As he got closer, he understood why.

“Did you hear about Jesus the Nazarene?”

“They say he was brought back from the dead for three days!”

Gabe rolled his eyes so hard he almost sprained his skull. Three days? Three _days_? Fuck, he’d been brought back from the dead so many times he’d lost count! Where were his accolades, huh? Where was his new religion?

“I find it difficult to believe you have obtained a sudden interest in the daily rumors circulating the Senate.”

Gabe looked behind him, finding Jack and Jean-Baptiste strolling leisurely up the pristine square. Gabe smiled at Jack, replying, “I doubt I will ever have the stomach for this nonsense.”

Jean-Baptiste looked surprised. “You do not find the rumors of the Nazarene intriguing?”

“Do I believe this man was resurrected from the grave for three days?” Gabe asked. He spread his hands out. “Who can say? It certainly seems like a tall tale.”

“I must admit to being enthralled by the entire affair,” Jean-Baptiste replied. “I find the concept of immortality eminently fascinating.”

Jack cleared his throat. Jean-Baptiste looked over at him, tilting his head in question.

Jack elbowed him.

Jean-Baptiste suddenly shouted, “I must depart!”

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“I have important matters to attend to!” Jean-Baptiste continued, although there was really no need to explain himself further. “Business matters! For the council!”

“Farewell, then,” Jack said, his voice heavy as he shooed his friend away with both hands. He turned and shook his head after the other man had left. “What a joker, that one, huh?”

Gabe began walking towards the Senate chamber, preparing for the day’s work. Jack quickly fell into step beside him.

“I was hoping we could make plans to meet up tonight.” Jack’s voice was unusually hesitant. “Perhaps dinner, then take in a play? I am reliably informed there is a new drama debuting tonight in the Theater of Pompey.”

“Of course,” Gabe agreed.

Later that night, as they approached the large theater with a multitude of guests excited to take in a new show, Jack reached out to hold Gabe’s hand.

Gabe looked down at their hands, then up at his friend.

Jack brought Gabe’s hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

Gabe’s hand vanished seconds before his entire arm turned into thick, attention-grabbing smoke. Jack’s eyes widened, but before Gabe could even make an attempt to explain, the Praetorian Guard had seized whatever they could grab of his solid body.

“It is an attack!”

“An attack on the Emperor!”

Jack’s protests were drowned out in the cacophony. Gabe had no idea where the Emperor was, or that he had been planning to attend the opening night of this play at all, but he had lived through enough of these situations by now to know the drill. He was carried away and locked in a cell overnight, then dragged away in the morning to the nearest field of crosses.

Gabe saw Jack arguing with the Praetorian Guard, carrying a handful of scrolls with official seals on them. Maybe Jack could have succeeded—if he’d had more time. The thing was, there wasn’t any more time. As Gabe was laid down on the cross, he thought, fuck it. No way was he being crucified.

So he thought about Jack. For the first time in three thousand years, he very specifically allowed himself to consider his best friend as something more. He focused on Jack’s eyes when they were amused, on Jack’s determined stride when he was absolutely confident in his destination, on Jack’s carefree optimistic attitude when he allowed himself the freedom to let loose.

And his entire body changed in an instant. To the gathered crowed, it appeared as though the man about to be nailed to the cross had vanished amongst a sudden smoky air. Gasps and shouts cried out as people wondered what had occurred.

Gabe rose up above them all, letting his body float. He found Jack in the crowd, watching with huge eyes the scene in front of him, still struggling to argue for Gabe’s release.

It was sweet, how loyal he was. But Romans were not known for their empathy, and Jack’s companionship would only get them both killed. So Gabe made his escape, vowing to never return in that lifetime.

~*~

_**935 AD: North Atlantic Ocean** _

The push and pull of the boat was a steady, soothing feeling that Gabe had long since gotten accustomed to. The life of a Viking required many skills—and at the top of that list was the ability to be at home on the water for months, sometimes years, at a time.

“I’m just telling it like it is, Jack.” Jamison’s voice was louder than it should be, as usual. “If you want him, you gotta tell him. Gabriel’s a moron. He won’t get it otherwise.”

Wow. Harsh.

Jack said something back to him, but Gabe couldn’t make it out over the curt breeze that cut through the deck. That was fine. There was work to be done.

Gabe was in charge of setting up the deck for a party. They had considered the hull, but the Captain nixed that idea. Captain de Kuiper was a fine enough man—a bit strange for a Viking, slightly too interested in music and mathematics, but overall, fine. However, if there was one thing the man hated, it was tardiness.

Gabe whistled loudly. “Fawkes! Get your ass over here and finish scrubbing!”

Jamison straightened up like he’d been hit. In another minute, he would have been. Jack laughed as the young man ran over, grabbing two brushes and continuing his work in earnest. Mako helped, too, along with some of the other newer members of their group.

The cleaning continued to the end of the day. It had to be perfect. Right as the sun was setting, the musician on board began arranging his instruments, claiming he only needed a few moments to do so.

“Lucio,” Gabe greeted. “I hope you’re ready. De Kuiper has high standards.”

“Oh, I’m well aware,” Lucio replied. “That’s why he hired me.”

The party began at sunset. All of the Vikings were feeling a heightened sense of awareness—they were only a day away from making landfall, and they were ready to go reap their rewards from whatever people they may find. It was a more militant bunch than Gabe usually found himself attached to, but he found the life was easy. No questions about what he loved the most. Only questions about his prowess in battle. Simple.

Gabe watched the party from the sidelines. In truth, he didn’t much feel like partying at all. He didn’t mind dealing out death—he’d been doing it for so long, it felt like second nature to him now. But he was absolutely certain it wasn’t a cause for celebration. He’d seen too much of it to think of it as anything other than a transaction. A dirty, messy one. But still a deal between two people. He took their life; they received peace. Most probably didn’t think of it that way. But, after two thousand years, Gabe didn’t know how he could see it any other way. 

Jack swung around and plopped down on the bench next to him. “Odin’s balls, I’m exhausted,” he groaned, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his legs.

Gabe snorted. “You’ve done nothing but drink the night away.”

“They say it gives courage.”

“I cannot fathom how you would need extra courage.”

Jack pulled his knee sideways up on the bench to look directly at him. “Why have you never taken a lover?”

The question seemed to come out of nowhere. “Seems our thoughts do not align this night,” Gabe muttered. “Here I ponder death while you focus on love.”

“They’ll be enough death tomorrow,” Jack replied. “And we might enter the great gates of Valhalla soon enough. Why not speak of love? While we have the time?”

Gabe sighed. “There is no one who has my interest.”

Jack peered closely at him. “Can that be true?”

“Yes,” Gabe bit out. “And you? Why have you not taken Vincent yet?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I do not wish to handfast with such a man.”

“Who said anything about handfasting?” Gabe asked, bewildered.

“We were speaking of love.” Jack thumped his hand into Gabe’s bicep, a good-natured whack that had Gabe smiling. “What about love makes you so grumpy, anyway?”

“Nothing. I am happy for those who are able to find what they seek.”

“Lies,” Jack said, laughing. “You are far from happy, my old friend.”

“Go dance,” Gabe muttered. “Or whatever it is that you think is dancing. Leave me to my preparations for tomorrow’s landing.”

Jack grasped onto Gabe’s arm. “I will see you after the battle, then.”

“When we are adorned with further glory,” Gabe agreed.

In the end, this landfall was like all the others. They killed who stood in their way, and let the women and children flee without harm. Simple.

That night, Gabe made a fire on the outskirts of town. He was one of the patrols to guard against any incoming attacks while they were occupying this town. The next day, they’d be gone, but tonight he had an important duty.

“It appears we have not earned our place in Valhalla yet,” Jack said, striding up to him from the camp made in the center of town.

Gabe grunted his agreement.

Jack walked right up next to him, whispered, “Then I shall seize honor in another way,” and moved to kiss Gabe right on the mouth.

However, as always happened, Gabe’s flesh disintegrated before they could make contact. The now-familiar purple-black smoke sprung up between them, causing Gabe to flinch as Jack pulled away, shocked.

“Loki?” Jack asked, awe in his voice.

Gabe sighed heavily. “Not quite.”

“It is only the trickster god who would place such beauty in front of me and deny me the ability to partake,” Jack stated, eyes raking up and down Gabe’s partially physical form. “What else?”

He explained once more about his curse. Luckily, this culture had a healthy respect for all things magical, so Jack took this information without blinking an eye. He stroked his long, braided beard and peered closely at Gabe.

“Am I to understand you hold the power of the gods?”

Gabe hesitated before nodding. “That is a fair definition of this ability.”

Jack reached out, pushing his hand through Gabe’s smoky arm. “I always knew you were magic,” he muttered. “I just never grasped how much so.”

“You are bewitched,” Gabe said, taking a step back.

Jack laughed. “Indeed.”

Gabe shook his head. “You do not understand. You do not desire me.”

“Ah, so you must not be Loki, then.” Jack’s eyes lit up in amusement. “The gods are able to read the hearts of warriors. They would never make such an error.”

Gabe turned away. “My only wish is for you to find happiness.” He took a deep breath. “It cannot be with me.”

Jack’s face fell. “Is this a rejection, then?”

Gabe shrugged.

“I see.” Jack straightened his back. “I shall give you time to consider. Perhaps you will change your mind.”

“I won’t.”

Jack walked away, peering over his shoulder back at Gabe, whose smoky body easily faded into the dark cover of night. Gabe let him walk away, knowing the curse meant he could not tie himself to another.

Now this? This was complicated.

~*~

_**1167 AD: The Crusades** _

“To glorious battle!” Reinhardt cried, lifting his shield and screaming out an inspiring warrior’s cry. 

Gabe groaned, pulling the threadbare blanket that pretended to be his bed up over his eyes. “It’s the middle of the fucking night,” he groused. “Go to sleep.”

Reinhardt immediately brought his shield down and looked sheepish. “I am sorry, my friend. I just have the _fire of a thousand suns_ living inside me!”

Jack rolled over, squinting at Gabe in the dim light of the quarter moon. “Do you think tonight will be the night he listens to reason?”

Reinhardt picked up his hammer and began smashing it into the ground, accompanying each blow with a loud grunt.

Gabe grabbed Jack’s blanket and pulled it up over his face. “Shut up, Morrison.”

~*~

_**1381 AD: Feudal Japan** _

“Jack. We need to find actual work.”

“This _is_ actual work.”

“Paying work.”

“We are paid with the honor of assisting those less fortunate than ourselves.”

Gabe hung his head low, resigned to continuing living a life of poverty until he could convince his partner otherwise. It wasn’t easy being a traveling samurai, but it would have been a lot easier if Jack had any desire at all to take on paying jobs.

They continued walking towards the nearest town. As they approached, Gabe noticed it was quite a wealthy area. The houses were large with lush, expansive gardens surrounding them. Jack slowed down, also inspecting the area, when a heavy look appeared on his face.

“We should move on,” he stated with a sigh.

Gabe looked at him like he was crazy. “Are you crazy?”

Jack gestured to the buildings. “This area is obviously well-cared for. Our efforts here would be in vain.”

Gabe stared at him. “Can we not at least rest for the night? Stop at an inn that can offer a decent meal?”

Jack nodded. “I suppose so.”

He supposed so. Well, Gabe supposed he was going to suppose to kick Jack’s ass down the Silk Road and back.

They made their way farther into town, stopping when they both caught sight of an open dojo. It appeared some young people were beginning to train in the art of the samurai.

“Should tell them not to waste their time,” Gabe muttered.

Jack clicked his tongue. “Nonsense, Gabe. Let’s watch their training for a while.”

They stood at the edge of the training field, both judging how the older samurai was instructing the younger ones. A man walked up to them, gesturing to the warriors.

“Greetings,” he said. “I am Shimada Hanzo, the owner of this establishment.”

Jack nodded at him. “We are traveling samurai, here to rest a few moments before we carry on our way.”

Gabe inclined his head. “This teacher is quite skilled.”

“That is my brother, Genji. He is more suited to the warrior’s way than I.” At two inquisitive looks, Hanzo continued, “I find my focus to be more on governing as of late. Young warriors would do much better under his tutelage.” Hanzo shook his head. “At any rate, since you have been traveling, I deduce you must be tired and in need of rest. May I offer you spare rooms for the night?”

“That’s too generous,” Jack stated.

“Not at all,” Hanzo said, dismissing the claim. “How many rooms will you be needing?”

“Two,” Gabe said.

“One,” Jack replied.

They looked at each other.

“One room is less of an ask on this powerful family,” Jack explained.

“Then I shall have two futons brought into the room,” Hanzo stated.

“Thanks,” Gabe replied.

“That won’t be necessary,” Jack said. “One is more than enough.”

They looked at each other.

“Well.” Hanzo clapped his hands together. “Why don’t you inform my servants when you have made up your minds? In the meantime, please do enjoy the training.” He walked away, probably wondering what was going on with these two strange samurai.

Gabe was wondering the same thing himself.

He continued to wonder after Jack snuck away, informed the servants that they would only need a single futon, and came back innocent as could be. This was getting quite old. Gabe knew they were close, closer than he really had any right to be to another person given the constraints of his curse, but Jack was pushing things too far.

“Why one futon?” Gabe asked as they were preparing for bed. “You know this family has more than enough to spare. They might even be related to a shogun.”

“That is no reason to take more than what is required.”

“One bed for each of us is the minimum required,” Gabe pressed.

“Perhaps,” Jack pondered.

“We are two adult men,” Gabe attempted to reason. “Unless you want to be on top of me all night long, I suggest you reconsider.”

Jack cleared his throat.

“Jack.”

“I am amenable to your suggestion,” Jack quietly answered. “Though I would also find it pleasing to be underneath you, as well.”

Gabe’s eyes widened. Jack leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Forgive me,” Jack said, immediately looking down. “That was too forward. I only wanted to—”

Gabe knew exactly when Jack looked up because the man stammered to a halt. Of course Gabe’s face had begun to change form into a smoky haze. Jack’s eyes widened. Gabe’s shoulders dropped. He really was tired of this.

Jack was quiet for a few moments. “… What are you?” he eventually asked, eyes grazing over Gabe’s features.

Honestly? He didn’t feel like answering. He was tired. It was next to impossible to explain the entire situation on his best days, and this was not one of his best days. They’d been traveling for weeks by foot out on the road. Gabe had only wanted to take a night—one single night—and rest his weary bones. Instead, it turned out like this.

“Does it matter?” Gabe asked, sighing.

“To me, yes. A great deal.”

“For now, just know I am as human as you,” Gabe replied. “Only I cannot be touched.”

Jack looked confused. “I have seen many a blade touch you.”

Gabe waved his hand, mentally throwing away that point. “My body is unable to withstand the touch of a loved one.”

In an instant, devastation crashed along Jack’s face. “You have never known love?” His voice was quiet, heartbroken.

Gabe shrugged. “It is of no consequence.”

“I disagree.” Jack looked down at the single futon. “Are you able to sleep in that form?”

“I’ve never tried.”

Jack pulled open the cover, slipping inside and holding it aloft for Gabe. “Join me,” he murmured. “Allow me to hold you.”

“You cannot.”

Jack smiled slightly. “Then allow my body to rest alongside yours, whatever form it has.”

Gabe felt a heavy stone settle in his throat. He nodded, crawling into the futon and immediately beginning to dissolve into purple and black fumes. “Apologies,” he muttered. “It does not often happen so quickly.”

“Sleep, Gabe,” Jack whispered. “And in the morning, we will talk of how I came to be in the presence of a yokai for so many years.”

Sleep came quickly, and, in the morning, the talk was simpler than Gabe had feared. They spent the remainder of that lifetime at each other’s side. Though Jack was never convinced Gabe was a human, the man was quite happy to spend his days at the side of a spirit.

~*~

_**1503 AD: Italian Renaissance** _

“Perfect,” Torbjorn said, eyeing Jack’s naked body.

Gabe grit his teeth. “Is this really necessary?”

“Who else should I use as the model for the perfect man?” Torbjorn asked, gesturing wildly around with his hammer.

“Fair,” Gabe stated without another thought.

Jack blushed. “Gabe,” he said, just this side of embarrassed. He ruined it by flexing his muscles and winking.

Brigitte ran in the studio, carrying another load of marble. “More supplies, father!”

“I must have my David!” Torbjorn shouted. “Let us build!”

Gabe never understood why Torbjorn used a fake name for his art—and Michelangelo, what was up with _that_ —but he couldn’t argue with the man’s taste.

~*~

_**1760 AD: American Frontier** _

“The plan’s air-tight, my friend,” Jesse said with certainty.

“Fool-proof, even for you,” Ashe agreed.

Gabe frowned at her.

“Because you’re a fool,” she explained.

“Got that part,” he answered. “Thanks, though.”

They split up, with Jesse and Ashe intending to go straight to town and check out the situation, planning on reporting back by nightfall. That left Gabe with his horse in the middle of nowhere, eventually riding alongside the train tracks just as a simple means of avoiding getting lost. Losing his way in the middle of the desert was a fine way to hasten his demise. In other lifetimes, he might have gone for it, but in this one he’d yet to meet Jack. It just didn’t feel right to expire before they met up.

As if on cue, Gabe heard pounding hooves off in the distance, coming in close. He turned his horse around, narrowing his eyes as he eyed the long, even horizon. There, maybe a mile out, was the rider—coming in fast. That in itself should have been warning enough, but as Gabe was indeed the fool Ashe had accused him of being, he simply stopped and waited for the man to approach.

It was Jack. Of course it was Jack. Gabe readjusted his cowboy hat as the overworked horse was pulled to a stop, neighing and shimmying from all the exertion.

“Whoa there,” Jack said, patting his horse’s hide. “There’s a good lass.”

“Howdy,” Gabe greeted, nodding. “You seem to be going someplace in a hurry.”

“Howdy,” Jack replied in kind. “There’s reports of a suspicious gang ‘round these parts. Heard tell they might be looking to cause a ruckus in town tonight.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “Does that concern you?”

“I’m the law,” Jack said, presenting his shining sheriff’s badge with pride.

Gabe sighed. “Of course you are.”

Jack nodded at Gabe’s horse—or, more accurately, at the stuffed pack he was carrying. “You wouldn’t happen to mind if I have a looksee?”

Gabe did mind, actually, but he knew his hands were tied. If he said anything, it would be confirmation of Jack’s suspicions. So he gestured to the pack, saying with a friendly smile, “Help yourself, sheriff.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Jack hopped down off his horse and inspected the contents of the pack—a few sticks of dynamite, bags of gunpowder, masks that covered the upper half of a person’s face, and plans to the bank in the next town over.

Gabe knew what it looked like, but he had thousands of years experience in keeping a straight face no matter what.

“Seems like I interrupted a real party,” Jack said, smirking. He held up a stick of dynamite. “Mind telling me what this is for?”

“Blowing shit up,” Gabe answered. “Far as I know, that’s not illegal.”

“It’s not,” Jack agreed. “How about these?” He held up the three masks.

“Sex shit,” Gabe immediately replied.

Jack turned a deep, charming red. “I—I see.” He blustered and shoved them back in the pack. “Well, then, pray tell why you’ve got these here plans to the city bank?”

“I’m an investor,” Gabe stated. “Wanted to make sure the building was protected before I put my money in there.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed, but fairly quickly a causal smile replaced his frown. “Well, then. Sorry to interrupt your day, friend.”

“Not at all,” Gabe answered, not buying for a second that Jack was fooled.

“Tell you what. How ‘bout, as an apology, I buy you a drink at the tavern?” Jack looked him up and down. “A man such as yourself must be feeling parched on this fine day.”

“What kinda man is that?” Gabe asked, amused.

“Handsome,” Jack stated with a wide grin.

Gabe blew out a breath through his noise. “All right, partner. Let’s go.”

They moseyed their way down to the tavern, riding their respective horses side-by-side. Gabe knew Jack was keeping an eye on him, but now he suspected it was in more ways than one. They tied their horses up outside the tavern and walked in, ordering two beers and taking a seat at a table.

Jack told a few tales of vagabonds he’d outsmarted over the years. Gabe was enthralled despite himself. He’d missed his friend, and he knew their connection was strong, instant. He wanted to stay for longer, but a glance outside showed Jesse and Ashe waiting impatiently by his horse.

“With deepest regrets, I must depart,” Gabe said.

Jack frowned. “But we’ve only just begun getting to know each other.”

“Does the sheriff always take this much interest in newcomers?” Gabe teased.

“No,” Jack answered quickly, sincerely. “Do you?”

“No,” Gabe replied.

“I’ve got an extra bunk at my place,” Jack said. “If you need it.”

“Oh, that’s not—”

“And plenty of room in mine for one more.” Jack reached out underneath the table, boldly running his hand along the inside of Gabe’s thigh. “If you’re inclined.”

Gabe’s face immediately began to deteriorate, smoke slowly wisping out from his cheeks and the corners of his eyes. The hand on Gabe’s leg stopped short, then pulled back.

“What is this?” A bit of terror had crept into Jack’s voice. “Some kind of… trick? To escape the law?”

Gabe shook his head as he tried to get his mind off Jack offering to fuck him the first day they met. Damn, the West really _was_ wild.

“I’m not who you think,” Gabe said. “I’m cursed.”

“Cursed,” Jack repeated, eyes wide.

“Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh,” Gabe replied. “Long story. I’ll tell you later, if the offer for the bunk’s still open.”

“I… I wouldn’t know how to…” Jack trailed off, face twisting oddly as he considered something. “Does your whole body do that?”

Gabe laughed. “Only when you want me,” he answered honestly.

“Strange curse,” Jack commented.

The door to the tavern burst open. Jesse stormed in, waving his hand at Gabe.

“Gabriel!” Jesse shouted. “Come on!”

Gabe looked at Jack regretfully. “Sorry, got a job to do.”

“As do I,” Jack agreed.

They both left the tavern, starting out slowly but eventually ending in a run, jumping on the horses and heading to the bank.

“I’m gonna catch you,” Jack said. “Lock you up.”

“Don’t matter,” Gabe replied. “I’ll just smoke my way through the bars.”

“Well shit,” Jack stated.

Turns out, they were both right. Gabe was able to get in and out of the bank thanks to his curse. He handed the bags off to Jesse and Ashe, agreeing to meet up the next day as was planned. They’d already done several jobs together, so they all were familiar with the plan.

“I love that smoke thing he does,” Jesse said.

“So convenient,” Ashe agreed.

They left town quickly, but Gabe stayed behind, allowing himself to be caught by the sheriff.

“I wouldn’t normally do this,” he stated.

“Oh yeah?” Jack asked as he led Gabe back to jail. “Been in this situation before, huh?”

“So many times.”

When they got to the sheriff’s station, it was a small one-room building with a rusty jail. Jack locked the front door and turned to face Gabe.

“I’ve been thinking about you naked since I first saw you,” Jack admitted. “The sex masks and smoke thing don’t help that any.”

Gabe laughed, torn between delight and the bone-crushing knowledge that it still couldn’t work between them.

“I think I’ll free you.” Jack uncuffed Gabe’s wrists, pulling him in closer. “I’ve never had sex with smoke before.”

“And you’re not going to now,” Gabe murmured kindly. “I’m telling you, it doesn’t work, sheriff.” 

“Jack.”

“Jack,” Gabe repeated. “It really doesn’t work.”

“Gabriel, they called you?”

Gabe nodded.

“Let’s try anyway. No harm, no foul, right?”

They tried.

It didn’t work.

Jack laid down on the floor, naked but surrounded by Gabe’s smoky form. “You know,” he mused, “I’m not sure I care.”

“What do you mean?” Gabe’s voice was wispier than normal, probably due to all the exertion. He was trying to process that he’d agreed to have sex with Jack. His best friend had seduced him. It felt right. He didn’t feel strange about it at all.

“I like you,” Jack stated. “A lot. I think you should stay with me. This town could use a deputy.”

Gabe sighed. “I can’t stay.”

“Why? Don’t you want to have more sex?”

“We didn’t have sex.”

“We had the kind of sex we’re able to have,” Jack countered. “I’m okay with that.”

“Why don’t we go to sleep?” Gabe suggested. “We’ll talk more about this in the morning.”

Jack fell asleep, his hands gently holding onto Gabe as his parts slowly became more solid. Gabe slipped out as soon as he could. He met up with Jesse and Ashe, took his cut, and left for parts unknown.

Some years later, he heard about a sheriff who had put out a bounty for a man made of smoke, wanted alive and healthy. Gabe steered clear of any thoughts of Jack after that.

~*~

_**1888 AD: Victorian England** _

***

_Miss Lacroix’s Gossip Sheet_

_It’s official, dear readers. I have it on excellent authority that Duke Morrison is on the hunt. Apparently the handsome lord has his romantic intentions set on the most incorrigible rake ever known to society. Of course, I am speaking of the not-so-gentleman Gabriel Reyes. Yes, the Reaper of Hearts himself. After leaving a trail of disappointment and dashed dreams, it appears Mister Reyes, with no inheritance or lands to speak of, is about to sink his claws into the height of our fair society’s eligible bachelors. I am waiting from afar to gather more information. Until then, know I have you all in my sights._

_Avec l’amour,_

_The Widowmaker_

***

Gabe shoved the sheet of paper in Jack’s face. “What is this?” he demanded.

Jack’s eyes briefly flicked down to it. “A piece of paper.”

Gabe growled.

Jack grinned.

“Jack!” Gabe rubbed his forehead. “You know you have to stomp out these rumors.”

“Why worry about this foolishness?” Jack shrugged on his coat and flipped on his top hat. “We have a ball to attend, my dear Mister Reyes.”

Gabe followed Jack to his carriage, knowing full well the servants in Jack’s house were whispering about them. It made him feel itchy. Like his wraith form was going to come out. They got into the carriage and proceeded to the main road, but Gabe’s mind wasn’t focused on the ball.

“Jack,” Gabe whispered. “You know why I cannot have these rumors swirling about.” He shook the paper between them. “This is guaranteed to cause me undue harm.”

Jack sighed. “Yes, yes. The curse.”

“Yes,” Gabe agreed, harshly. “The curse.”

“It’s just a gossipy tell-all rag,” Jack stated. “Nobody of note cares what’s written in there.”

Gabe’s eyes widened. “Everyone reads this, Jackie! Even the Queen!” He put up his hands. “That’s not the point. The point is the more this rumor circulates, the likelier it is someone will bring it up to me unexpectedly, and then the curse will activate.”

“Then you’ll be killed,” Jack sighed, long-sufferingly.

Gabe shook his head. “You saw my other form. You know what I say is true. Why you _insist_ on carrying on like this is beyond my several _thousand_ years of comprehension.”

“Is that so?” Jack asked, humorlessly. “You have no idea why I might not desire to end rumors of our future romantic entanglement?”

Gabe leaned back in his seat, looking out the window mulishly.

“You know I love you,” Jack continued, quietly.

“You don’t,” Gabe bit out. “You love Vincent.”

“Vincent,” Jack scoffed. “I had a brief affair with the man and you remain more hung up on him than I ever was!”

“You are with him in every lifetime,” Gabe countered.

“Perhaps because you insist on being so pig-headedly obstinate.”

“Pig-headedly,” Gabe repeated, torn between amusement and outrage.

“Yes! And, and blind!” Jack exclaimed. “To what’s right in front of you!”

“You can’t love me,” Gabe said, feeling his flesh begin to disappear as the familiar purple-black smoke began to fill the space between them.

“I can,” Jack stated. “I do. And I have no intention of letting an ancient Egyptian curse stand in my way, of all things.”

Gabe felt his body lose more and more of its shape. “This is what happens when we try,” he stated, miserably. “I can’t maintain my physical form.”

“I don’t care.”

Gabe laughed, the sound turning vaporous as he was almost entirely smoke now. “You don’t care. How would we kiss? How would we make love?”

Jack smiled slowly. “Most ardently.”

Gabe leaned forward, his face dissolving as his ghost-like lips fizzled out before they could touch Jack’s own.

“I am willing to continue trying,” Jack stated. “In the honorable goal of breaking an unjust Egyptian Pharaoh’s curse from four thousand years ago.”

“Closer to five, now,” Gabe corrected.

“All the more reason.”

Gabe moved away from Jack, slowly trying to get his form under control. Jack let him go, remaining silent. At least the man understood that Gabe absolutely could not show up to the event of the season in his non-corporeal smoky cursed form. It took a few minutes, but eventually Gabe was able to rein in his emotions. He just had to focus on things besides Jack. Easy enough. He had loads of practice, after all.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of Miss Ziegler’s estate, which was decorated with all the accoutrements expected at this kind of high-society soiree. The driver opened the door to the cab, and Jack, ever the gentleman, gestured with a hand for Gabe to go first.

The party was in full-swing by the time the two men arrived. Gabe expected to separate from Jack fairly quickly, anticipating the Duke would have social obligations, but instead Jack simply encircled his arm in Gabe’s and led him around the room, introducing Gabe to a lot of people in fancy outfits who gave Gabe unimpressed looks. That was fine. He wasn’t impressed by them, either.

“Dance with me,” Jack murmured.

Gabe sighed. He let the Duke pull him onto the dance floor, falling in step with the rest of the men as Jack playfully followed along with the women. It was silly, really. But Jack seemed to light up every time their hands touched, and Gabe kept his face blank, focusing all his thoughts on every negative thing he could think of in all the years he’d been alive. That was the only surefire way to keep his form intact.

Other dancers seemed to not have his troubles, however. Lena and Emily, two women Gabe knew from previous events, were tearing up the dance floor, laughing as they swirled around each other. Gabe wanted to be that carefree. He wanted to pull Jack close and let the cards fall where they may.

But that was a fantasy. Nothing more. He already knew he couldn’t fall in love with Jack. The curse took over his body every time he even remotely entertained the idea. It was far too easy for him to forget it, though. So he had to focus. He had to keep his form solid. He couldn’t have a repeat of the Olympics.

At the end of the dance, when Jack was arm-in-arm with Gabe once more, Miss Ziegler herself captured Jack’s other arm. “Duke Morrison,” she trilled, delighted. “So glad you could make it tonight!”

“No need for formalities, Angela,” Jack replied. “Why don’t we catch up?”

“Yes, please.” Angela smiled at Gabe. “And bring your companion? We have much to discuss.”

Gabe eyed Jack suspiciously. Jack looked perfectly innocent, so Gabe knew something must be up. They walked away from the crowd, down into a basement area that was away from the party. This area was well-stocked with medical supplies and bookcases stacked overflowing with medical tomes of dubious origins.

“Mister Reyes, I must admit to being involved in a conspiracy with your beloved Duke,” Angela said once the three of them were far away from prying ears.

Gabe turned an unamused look on Jack. “Is that so?”

“I’m afraid so, my dear.” Jack grasped Gabe’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. 

Gabe’s hand immediately evaporated into purple and black smoke. He let out an undignified shout of surprise, darting a worried look over to Miss Ziegler. However, the woman merely leaned closer, inspecting the state of his hand.

“I know of these curses,” Angela stated, seriously. “I have read up on this subject. I had to, after Jack informed me of your condition.”

“My condition,” Gabe repeated.

“The Egyptian Pharaoh’s curse,” Angela stated with more enthusiasm than the subject matter warranted, in Gabe’s opinion, anyway.

Gabe leveled Jack with a very judgmental look.

Jack moved his hand down to squeeze at Gabe’s waist. “I trust Angela implicitly,” he assured. “She’s the finest doctor I know. If anyone can help solve your affliction, she can.”

Gabe sighed. “The damage is already done, I suppose.”

Angela began to do a series of brief tests, using Gabe’s cursed hand and his normal hand both to test against each other. This took a much shorter time than he had initially feared. An hour later, Angela frowned deeply as she began putting her tools away.

“I am so sorry.” It was more than obvious how much she meant it.

Gabe smiled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry yourself, Miss Ziegler. I have lived with the curse far longer than you can imagine.”

“Perhaps, in your next life, medicine will be more advanced,” she stated, hopefully. “Find me again, and I promise I’ll try.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Gabe said.

“I’m serious, Mister Reyes.” Angela’s mouth set in a thin line. “Jack is one of my oldest friends, and I view his happiness of equal import to my own.”

Jack shook Angela’s hand in a friendly manner. “Thank you again, Angela. We’ll look forward to attending your next ball.”

“Please do,” she agreed. “I’ll be certain to send your invites well in advance.”

They left the Ziegler estate alongside the other guests, mingling to keep up appearances even though high society was the last thing on either of their minds. The ride back to Jack’s estate was quiet for the first few minutes. Gabe found he wasn’t upset that Jack had sought out assistance in finding a cure. All these lives were beginning to get to him.

“I don’t care.” Jack turned to face Gabe head-on, interrupting whatever morbid ideas had begun to spin around his brain. “I absolutely do not care. I only want to be yours.”

“Jackie.”

“Say yes. Please.”

Gabe was silent. He didn’t want to trap Jack in a life without physical touch. It felt like condemning both of them to this curse.

Jack must have sensed his hesitation. “Okay, let’s start small. I was invited to go to Vincent’s for the Christmas holiday. Come with me,” he implored.

“To the South of France?” It sounded absurd to even say it aloud.

“Please. I want you there, at my side.”

Gabe sighed. “Fine, Jackie. Anything for you, I suppose.”

Jack’s grin lit up brighter than the Ziegler household ever could, even with all the lights and decorations in the world.

They packed and traveled, taking the train where they could and carriages or horseback where they must. Gabe spent the time allowing himself to be wined and dined by Jack. It was the most comfortable he had ever felt. The majority of the time his body was in some state of his cursed form, but Jack never minded. There were occasional jokes, always meant to soothe Gabe’s anxiety over how much he was destroying the very foundations of their relationship.

Jack attempted to kiss Gabe more than once. They were all unsuccessful. Jack laughed it off.

“Why do you laugh?” Gabe asked, his voice sounding nebulous as his curse took control yet again. “Aren’t you angry with me?”

Jack’s eyes lit up, bright and full of joy. “Of course not, Gabriel. I become more sure of your feelings for me every day.”

Gabe’s voice hissed out, “How?”

“The curse. It only activates when you are around me. And usually when we are attempting to be intimate.”

“Yes,” Gabe agreed. “It’s annoying. And inconvenient.”

“Not at all. The curse was meant to keep you from what you love most.”

“And?”

“Don’t you see? What you love most,” Jack said, voice growing excited. “It must be me.”

Gabe’s entire form shuddered. His body became fully dissolved. Jack kept smiling at him, not seeming to care how much the curse affected him.

“You love me,” Jack stated, calm and certain. “The more you think it, the more the curse takes over.” He grinned widely. “As I happen to also love you, this works out smashingly.”

Gabe began to have hope. More than he’d ever allowed himself to have before. He didn’t know how they were going to have a relationship, but if it was true they both wanted one… well. Gabe thought maybe he’d been avoiding his feelings for far too long.

Still, the curse was an inescapable problem with no solution. So when they pulled up to Vincent’s estate in the South of France two days before Christmas, Gabe looked at Jack with utmost urgency. 

“It is vital that Vincent cannot learn of my curse,” Gabe insisted.

“I hold your secrets as close as my own,” Jack assured him.

Gabe had his doubts, but they went inside regardless. He knew Vincent’s home would be beautiful—the man was a renowned artist—but he hadn’t expected it to be so… cozy. The place was smaller than expected. Still pretty, but in a way that inspired someone to imagine warm nights spent cuddled up by a loved one in front of a fireplace.

Vincent came out to greet them, walking down the stone path with an unusually sour expression.

“Vincent, good to see you,” Jack greeted.

Gesturing to his front door, Vincent simply stated, “Won’t you please come in.”

Once they were all three inside with the door locked behind them, Vincent whirled around and gave Jack a hard glare.

“You dare bring _him_ here?” Vincent hissed, a mad look in his eye.

Jack held out his hands. “Vincent, you knew my intentions. I was most clear.”

“When I invited you, I had no idea you would bring this… lowborn _filth_.” Vincent was practically snarling.

Despite all his previous encounters with this man over many different lifetimes, Gabe was still surprised. Vincent had been an adversary for many centuries, but in retrospect Gabe realized most of that was in a misguided tug-of-war over Jack. Now that Gabe understood Jack had always truly wanted him, he actually found himself not harboring any ill will towards Vincent. He couldn’t blame the man for finding Jack attractive. He wasn’t _that_ hypocritical.

Jack bristled at the words, but Gabe chuckled good-naturedly. “Don’t be upset, Jackie. I am what he says.”

“ _Jackie_?” Vincent was the epitome of righteous indignation. “You shall address your betters in their proper manner! This is Duke Morrison!”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Vincent, what’s this about? You said there was to be a party.”

“There is. On Christmas Day,” Vincent rushed to clarify.

“Then why ask me here two days early?”

Gabe snorted.

Vincent glared at him. He then turned an apologetic look on Jack. “I wished to catch up,” he explained. “And mend broken bridges.”

“We can remain friends,” Jack stated, slowly. “But my heart belongs to Mister Reyes now. I have written to you of this in my letters. I made myself quite clear.”

Vincent fisted his hands at his sides. “I do not believe you could have fallen so far,” he remarked. “This commoner is too far beneath your rank. Even your shoes are not fit to walk upon him.”

Jack—ever up for a challenge—turned and pulled Gabe closer. “He is fit for more than that, good sir.”

“Wait—”

But Gabe’s protest died before it could even be fully formed. Jack kissed him, a hard press of lips to lips that they had yet to experience. In that instant, Gabe’s body exploded in a smoky haze of purple and black, his love for Jack coming out in full, unexpected force.

“What—what is this?!”

Jack’s hands fell away, unable to hold on to Gabe anymore. Gabe took a moment to try and control himself, but it was futile. Vincent had seen everything.

“Vincent, I can explain,” Jack stated.

“No,” Vincent whispered. Then, louder, “No. No! A demon!”

“Not this again,” Gabe’s voice hissed, sounding closer to a loud wind than a human being.

“I knew it!” Vincent shouted.

Jack looked confused. Gabe could only second that.

“I knew you had been taken in by a charlatan! Only a true devil could pull the wool over your eyes so forcefully!”

“Gabe is a human, just like you and I,” Jack said in a calming tone. “There is an explanation. It is a tale worthy of all the epic poets in the universe, but you must calm yourself in order to hear and make sense of it.”

Vincent held up a knife. Gabe was slowly returning to his physical form, but at that image he could only wish the reformation to go faster.

“Vincent, what are you doing?” Jack seemed reasonable.

Vincent—much less so. “I will not hear the lies demons used to deceive you!”

In a move faster than either of them expected, Vincent held the knife up to his left ear and sliced the upper half of it clean off.

“Fuck!” Gabe shouted. “ _Fuck_!”

He knew the man was a brilliant artist. He hadn’t known the man was batshit insane.

“Silence, demon! I will be free of your influence!”

Jack looked at Gabe, falling back into commander mode. “Once you have control, please go to the carriage and alert them we require a medic.”

Gabe took another minute to bring his body back to human form. Then, as Jack wrestled the knife away from Vincent and pinned the man to the ground, shouting for him to get a hold of himself, Gabe left to deliver the message.

Christmas that year ended up being the two of them, alone, in an expensive train cabin on their way back to England.

“I’m sorry about Vincent,” Jack said as he leaned back against the cushioned seat.

Gabe stared out at the snow falling from the night sky. It was a light dusting, but steady. Steady enough that it had been falling for the better part of their entire trip, and now it had collected across the softly rolling landscape. The moon lit up the sky only enough to reflect on the white covered hills and plains. When he looked up, Gabe could barely see any stars in the sky.

“Gabriel?”

He knew they were there. He just couldn’t see them.

“Darling?”

Gabe turned his head to smile at Jack. “Yes?”

Jack reached out across the small space between them, just enough for two sets of feet to walk, and brushed his fingers over the back of Gabe’s hand. “I said I’m sorry for what happened,” he murmured. “I never meant to make you vulnerable.”

Gabe smiled as his hand began to dissipate under Jack’s fingertips. “Jackie,” he whispered. “This is how it’s always going to be between us.”

“Not always,” Jack replied. “Not in your next life.”

“You’ll only remember this life.” Gabe shrugged. “And I can’t guarantee when the curse will be lifted.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, idly running his fingers through the smoke that had once been Gabe’s hand. “So make me a promise, then.”

Gabe huffed out a laugh. “What now, Duke Morrison?” he teased. “Would you like my firstborn? Any lands I come into?”

“I want your love,” Jack said, quiet but sincere.

It was Gabe’s turn to be silent. “You already have it.”

“In this life,” Jack agreed. “But according to you, there’s been quite a few when you haven’t given me a chance.”

“Jack…”

“I want you to give us a chance in every lifetime,” Jack insisted. “Every single one. I don’t care how hard it is. I don’t care about the reasons you have to stay apart from me. Just show me your cursed form. Explain it to me as you have this time around. Allow me to decide for myself instead of you forcing others on me and ignoring my wishes.” Jack gently grasped onto Gabe’s forearm and pulled him across the aisle, tugging the man onto his lap and enclosing his arms around his waist. “Please, Gabriel. Allow me the chance to prove my love. Allow yourself to _be_ loved.”

Gabe’s form slowly fizzled out, beginning with his legs. “You won’t remember this,” he felt compelled to point out before agreeing.

“You will.”

Gabe sighed. “Okay,” he agreed. “I promise.”

It was probably one of the most idiotic things he’d done in all his years. Jack would never be able to hold him to a promise that lasted across lifetimes. Gabe could simply not abide by the terms, leaving himself free to judge the situation as he saw fit. Jack had no idea the amount of various obstacles that had been thrown in their path over the course of several hundred lifetimes. Gabe was the one with the view from above. He was the only one, between the two of them, who completely understood just how difficult it was to live with this curse. To know that the man he loved was always within reach—but only theoretically. Only mentally, emotionally. Never for an actual touch. 

He was going to keep this promise.

He was definitely an idiot.

Jack pressed a kiss into the smoky air. And as the train continued to chug along the lightly snow-covered tracks, Gabe thought, for a moment, he might have felt it.

~*~

_**1985 AD: California, United States** _

“This is big,” Olivia said.

“We did the math,” Hana added.

“And you’re basically fucked,” Efi concluded.

Gabe sighed. He rolled his shoulders, a now millennia-long habit that sometimes had the effect of calming him down. “Just spit it out.”

Hana popped her bubble gum, more excited than the rest. “Okay, after calculating all the possible variations of the equation, it’s probable that you’re less than halfway through this one thousand lives thing.”

Olivia held up one hand as she quickly typed away on the computer keyboard in front of her. “You say you don’t know the exact year the curse was placed on you.”

“Nope.” Gabe shrugged. “We measured time differently back then.”

“Right, right.” Olivia kept going. “But we’re estimating around five thousand years.”

“Give or take.”

“Even a kid could do this math,” Efi said, proving once again that she did not view herself as a kid. “Best case scenario, if we assume an average life span of fifty years—”

“When you factor in the min and max life spans for all the current known time periods,” Hana added.

“And disease, natural disasters, war, government-sanctioned murder, unexplainable sudden deaths,” Olivia listed off, ticking them on her fingers one-by-one.

“And this is only one speculation for the average life span,” Efi agreed. “But that gives us a total curse time of fifty thousand years.”

Gabe’s eyes widened.

“That’s if we look on the bright side! That means you’re one-tenth of the way through your not-so-eternal curse!” Hana seemed far too pleased.

“And the down side?” Gabe asked, already doing mental calculations that he’d been trying to stave off.

“One-twentieth of the way through one hundred thousand years,” Olivia said, pushing her wheeled chair away from her desk. It rolled slowly to a stop in front of him. “Now, who wants to tell Jack?” 

“Oh, um, shoot, I definitely _can’t_ ,” Hana stuttered. “I’m just, well, busy!”

Efi suddenly found her nails very interesting.

Gabe cracked his neck to one side. Then the other. “Thanks, ladies. I’ll break the bad news.”

He left the three of them to their devices—both literally and figuratively, as the collection of technology between the three geniuses in that room was somewhat astounding. Gabe had wanted to try and track his lives so far. He had given them all the information he could. Now he had an answer.

Gabe found Jack in the small waiting room outside. It wasn’t an official waiting room as the women weren’t running a business in any official capacity. But it had a couch and a water cooler, and Gabe had lived long enough that he called things as he saw them.

Jack was flipping through a magazine, eyes not stopping on any one page for too long. When Gabe approached him, Jack tossed the magazine onto the side table and leaned forward, hands gripping his knees tightly. “So? How did it go? What did they say?”

Gabe sat down on the other side of the couch, leaving one cushion between them. “They said I’ve got between forty-five and ninety-five thousand years left.”

Jack’s entire body crumpled. “Oh,” he whispered. “Oh, _honey_.”

Gabe ran a hand over and across his forehead, trying to take it in. “I thought I’d done more,” he admitted. “Lived longer.”

Jack crawled over to Gabe, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Gabe’s neck. “You have. You’ve done so much already.”

“Not enough,” Gabe bit out. “And for what? All for doing my job the way I was fucking supposed to.” He shook his head as his neck began to turn smoky. “Never trust the government, Jack. They always screw you over, in the end.”

Jack pressed his body in closer to Gabe’s. Immediately more of Gabe turned into his cursed form, but neither of them minded. This was how it had to be.

There were a lot of things Gabe had to accept. Now that he had a number in front of him, he was filled with a bitter resentment. Disappointment on a scale he didn’t have the words to explain. If only he could control his wraith form, then at least he could be with Jack the way they both wanted. It wouldn’t be this lifetime after lifetime of heart-ache and yearning.

“You should be with someone else.” Gabe couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Gabe, we talked about this.”

“Yeah, and you didn’t listen,” Gabe pointed out. “You never listen to me, Jack. You can have an actual life with someone! You don’t have to settle for me.”

“It’s not settling to be with the love of my life,” Jack countered. “And thank God I forced you into that promise a hundred years ago, otherwise who knows what you’d be doing right now.”

“It was a mistake to make that agreement with you,” Gabe said.

“We both want this. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“There is when I have this fucking curse!”

“Why does it feel like I’ve been having this same conversation with you for five hundred years?” Jack asked, sarcastically.

“A lot longer than that,” Gabe corrected.

They lapsed into companionable silence. Gabe had gone fully into his cursed body by now, so Jack laid down on the couch, his head where Gabe’s lap would have been if he still had one. Jack was a touchy-feely guy—he always had been, despite the persona he put out into the world. Gabe wanted to give him what he could. It was just so little, compared to what he could have with anyone else. It was so paltry. Gabe felt like Jack could have the world, but he was settling for a photograph of someone else’s adventure.

“I want you,” Jack whispered. “I’ve always wanted you, apparently since we were actual cavemen. So stop over-thinking and trying to talk me out of it.”

Gabe let himself relax. Just for now. They stayed like that for a few minutes while Gabe began thinking. Forty-five to ninety-five thousand years. At the absolute soonest, that would be about the year 47,000. It felt like a movie. Star Trek, or Wars, or what-the-fuck-ever. It sounded like a made-up time. A year that would never come.

“What are you thinking about?” Jack asked, accurately cottoning on to Gabe’s loud mental gymnastics.

“How we’ll be in the future,” Gabe muttered, giving voice to some of his deepest, most private thoughts. “How it’ll be another five thousand years from now. Will we be on another planet? In another galaxy?” Gabe lifted his wraith hand and ran his smoky tendrils down Jack’s cheek. “Will I have to use a spaceship to find you?”

“You said we’re always together,” Jack murmured, leaning in to the barely-there touch. “I’m happy to be with you on whatever planet, in whatever galaxy.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Morrison.”

~*~

_2072 AD: Overwatch Headquarters, Switzerland_

“I really don’t believe this is my fault,” Moira stated. She flicked the side of the vial and eyed Angela critically. “I shouldn’t be held responsible for something I did in a past life five thousand years ago.”

“I feel the same,” Gabe bit out. “So get to it.” He tapped his arm impatiently.

“This should allow you to control your wraith form more effectively,” Moira continued. “With practice, you should be able to control it with more than ninety-five percent efficiency.”

Gabe waved at Moira. “Go on, then.”

The liquid in Moira’s vial turned into a swirling mass of purple and black.

Angela clasped her hands together. “It’s so nice to see problems getting solved, isn’t it?”

Jack leaned forward, eyeing the process with extreme amounts of trepidation. “Isn’t this dangerous?”

Gabe snorted. “No more so than any of the other shit I’ve lived through.”

Moira tilted the vial down his throat. “Give it a minute to take effect,” she instructed as he swallowed the concoction. “Then I want you all out of my laboratory.”

Jack walked to Gabe’s side, standing next to him as they both looked down at Gabe’s skin. “Is it supposed to look like that?”

“There’s nothing there,” Gabe replied.

“Yeah. Shouldn’t there be something?”

Moira rolled her eyes. “I hate men.”

Angela pursed her lips. “Do you? I love men!” She laughed. “And women! And gender non-conforming people! You can find beauty in everyone.”

Moira looked revolted.

Gabe stared at his arm. “Fuck it.” He reached up from where he was sitting at Moira’s table filled with experiments, grabbed onto Jack’s collar, and tugged the soldier down into a searing kiss.

Jack’s hands came up to cup Gabe’s cheeks, fondly stroking along his jaw.

“Don’t you just love love?” Angela sighed.

“No,” Moira sneered. “Now get out, all of you.”

Gabe was more than happy to comply, especially when Jack dragged him back towards his room.

~*~

_**2379 AD: Horizon Lunar Colony, Earth’s Moon** _

He was floating.

In the _sky_.

In hindsight, it felt like he had come full circle. Being in outer space was a thrill, even so close to his home planet. But he had memories—long distant memories that had become hazy from time—of watching the sky, seeing that meteor falling, wondering what would become of him.

Some things had remained the same. But much had changed.

Maybe it didn’t matter how many lifetimes he’d already had, and what number he was supposed to live through, and how he was supposed to sort through them in any kind of meaningful way. Maybe the only thing that mattered was where he was at now. He could control his wraith form. He had all the knowledge from his previous lives at his disposal.

And he knew Jack loved him.

In every lifetime, that had been true. Looking back, Gabe couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. Of course Jack was what he loved the most. The worst part, the part that truly made him feel like a buffoon, was the certainty that Jack would have been with him in all of those lives. If he’d only asked.

Was that the curse? Was it really the wraith form, or had it been so obvious that Gabe wouldn’t be able to get his shit together for thousands of years?

Guess it didn’t matter. He knew Jack would want him. He just needed to give the solider the opportunity.

“The new guy should be here any minute,” Winston said. He lumbered over to stand on the loading deck, keeping a careful eye over the ship’s slow landing.

Bastion beeped a few times, bouncing back and forth happily.

Hammond clicked and chattered, while his robot ball translated, “I’m also looking forward to doing less maintenance work around here.”

"Speaking of maintenance work, did Echo, Zenyatta, and Orisa all need to check the air quality?" Winston asked doubtfully.

"Probably not," Hammond chittered. "They just wanted to get a better view of the incoming ship."

Gabe said nothing. They didn’t know about his history with Jack. Even Jack didn’t know about their history in this life. Not yet. But Gabe was more than ready to change that. 

The spaceship finished landing. The port doors opened and out walked Jack, looking ready to take charge. Typical. He tripped up a bit when he was fully out of his spaceship and realized this area of the ship had anti-gravity—specifically designed in order to make unloading supply shipments that much easier.

Jack’s feet lifted off the floor as a look of amusement crossed his face. He looked over at the three crew members in the observation room—three robots of various sizes—and the three crew members on the ground—one animal, one robot, and one robot-animal—before twisting around and finally seeing Gabe. Jack took a moment to stare, but Gabe was ready. He’d expected that.

“Hey, handsome,” Gabe said. “Float here often?”

Jack’s blush could be seen from _Earth_.

_fin._


End file.
